A Make-A-Wish Central New York Blog Celebrating Wishes

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A Lifetime Trip Come True:

Tyler with 2018 X-Games extreme sports athletes.

Despite living with cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening lung condition, 12-year-old Tyler Halpin of Onondaga County loves being active in the outdoors. His favorite sport is snowboarding but, given the opportunity, he’ll also go skiing or snowmobiling – any sport in the snow is just fine!

It’s not hard to understand why, when Make-A-Wish Central New York offered Tyler a wish, snow would be involved…and lots of it!

In January, Tyler traveled with his family to Aspen, Colorado to watch and experience the Winter X Games, a competition of winter sport athletes from around the world. The Stonebridge Inn served as home base during his wish trip, which included meeting ESPN reps, watching skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling competitions from the VIP section, and going snowboarding. Trip highlights included meeting celebrities, taking in a Method Man and Redmond concert, and being a part of the Games’ awards ceremony!

Though he’s been home for a few months now, Tyler’s memories of his very special wish are still fresh. The best part – he has an overflowing bag of X Games “swag,” including some very special new snowboards, to remind him of the amazing experience!

While Anna was going through treatment for a rare brain tumor, she spent months in Tennessee at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. At the start of treatment she was nothing but anxious about what she was going to endure without all of her family by her side. After learning the Make-A-Wish Foundation could make something she dreamed of come true when she completed treatment, she became excited and this changed everything for her!

With her family being split apart in two different states for so long, Anna dreamed of everyone being back together again. Her wish was to spend quality time with her mom, dad, sister and brother in a place she’s dreamt of visiting, Maui, Hawaii.